Hundreds of individuals had been handled in Birmingham and Black Country hospitals for accidents brought on by canine assaults within the final 12 months, new figures have revealed, with severe incidents and fatalities on the rise nationally. NHS figures present that hospital consultants within the West Midlands carried out an estimated 420 therapies on individuals who had been bitten or struck by a canine between April 2022 and March 2023.
That was up from round 365 episodes the 12 months earlier than, and 270 episodes in 2020/21. It mirrors a worrying nationwide development of rising incidents, with terrifying canine attack movies going viral on social media, and a spate of high-profile fatalities making headlines in recent months and ensuing within the banning of the XL bully breed.
Separate figures present that throughout England, there have been 9,277 hospital admissions the place the affected person had been bitten or struck by a canine in 2022/23. That was up from 8,819 the 12 months earlier than, and a file excessive, with the quantity rising steadily since at the very least 1998 when figures started.
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Meanwhile, a small variety of folks tragically die from canine assaults yearly – and there was a recent spike in fatalities. In the final 20 years or so, the variety of deadly canine bites has averaged at about three per 12 months.
However, in 2022 there have been 10 fatalities, and there have been eight to this point this 12 months. A worrying sequence of assaults involving XL bullies sparked a nationwide disaster this summer season, together with the loss of life of much-loved dad Ian Price close to Walsall, and prompted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to announce a ban, stating “sufficient is sufficient”.
Dogs suspected to be American XL bullies have been concerned in a number of high-profile assaults, together with three of the eight deaths seen this 12 months. From February subsequent 12 months will probably be unlawful to personal one, until the proprietor has efficiently utilized for it to be exempt. The registration interval has now opened.
However, some specialists are sceptical that the ban shall be efficient in tackling the continuing rise in severe canine assaults. Professor Carri Westgarth, Chair in Human-Animal Interaction on the University of Liverpool, mentioned: “I can see an argument for breed particular laws in the truth that sure breeds usually tend to trigger harm in the event that they do chunk.
“However, we solely appear to ban sure breeds, whereas others that additionally characteristic extremely in fatalities appear to be left off these lists, so it’s a bit illogical in that sense. Banning has additionally been fairly tough to really do in follow, particularly when breeds just like the pit bull and now the American bully should not clear, outlined breeds.
“And does it work – has banning pit bulls stopped there being pit bulls within the inhabitants? No. Thirty years on from banning pit bulls we nonetheless have them they usually’re nonetheless concerned in severe bites.
“The majority of canine bites are additionally simply by on a regular basis pet dogs of all kinds of breeds, you usually see the commonest breeds within the hospital admissions information.
“So just by banning a small number of breeds, the potential to have an impact on dog bites and dog attacks in general is minor.”
